Cleaner-burning - If not managed right, the mandatory fuel supplement can stall engines and corrode or dissolve parts
Concerns about Oregon's new gasoline-ethanol law are rippling through the boating community, raising questions about whether a requirement meant for motorists should have waded into the nautical.
Ethanol absorbs water. And, in concentrated form, it's corrosive. If boaters aren't ready for the switch to 10 percent ethanol blends, they may have to contend with stalled boat engines, clogged filters and disintegrating components, marine operators and boat owners say.
State officials acknowledge the potential for frustration, or worse.
"Let's say you're crossing the (Columbia) bar, and your engine quits because it just gulped water," said Paul Donheffner, director of the Oregon Marine Board, the state agency that oversees boater safety. "That could be a problem."
Donheffner said lawmakers "may not have been thinking about boats, aircraft, small engines" when they passed a bill in 2007 that required gasoline to contain 10 percent ethanol, or E10. "It's one of those things where it's a law with good intentions, but it has unintended consequences."
The Legislature, now in a brief special session, may amend the law to include certain exemptions, including boats and planes. Regardless of any Capitol action, some mechanics and major boating associations say a little care and maintenance can make most watercraft ethanol-compatible.
"If you know it's coming, it doesn't have to be disruptive," says Bob Adriance, technical director at BoatU.S., a boat owners association.
The law took effect in Oregon's nine northwestern counties -- including Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas -- on Jan. 15. It will encompass the entire state by Sept. 16.
E10 is a cleaner-burning fuel, advocates emphasize, and reduces consumers' reliance on foreign oil.
Perhaps ethanol's biggest practical drawback is its ability to attract water. That's especially troublesome to boat owners. It can lead to something called "phase separation," which occurs when E10 sits in a tank for prolonged periods of time.
The ethanol, heavy with water, separates from the gas and settles to the bottom of the tank. The more concentrated ethanol shows off its corrosive properties, trying to dismantle any material it comes in contact with and scattering debris into the fuel system and engine.
Once separation occurs, "the problem cannot be corrected," said BoatU.S.' Adriance, who recently published a list of E10 tips. "The only solution is to drain the tank and refill with fresh gasoline."
Avoid the condition altogether, Adriance says, by properly preparing boats for idle times -- like rainy Portland winters. Keep the tank about 95 percent full, leaving room for expansion. That way, less air moves in and out of the vent, reducing the chance of condensation.
Other tips, according to Portland-area marine mechanics: run fuel stabilizers through the boat's system all the time, and install a water-separator filter. Keep extra filters handy, and know what to do with them.
"Any boater knows you've got to check your filter once in a while," said Rick Galbraith, service manager for Stevens Marine in Tigard. "It really hasn't been that big of a deal."
Fiberglass gas tanks, more common in older boats, are a bigger problem, given ethanol's corrosive properties. Pre-1980s vintage boats also may have rubber lines that will need replacement.
"Alcohol and rubber don't mix," said Fred Washburn, marine technician with the Multnomah County River Patrol. His 10-boat fleet of gasoline-burners appears to be weathering the transition well, he said.
Marina operators also are anxious.
Most of the state's 186,000 licensed boaters trailer their boats, filling up at roadside gas stations before they hit the water. But a few dockside pumps remain, used by moored boats, dredging crews and the like.
Gary Krueger, owner-operator of Donaldson Marina Gas Dock off Marine Drive on the Columbia River, fears the E10 requirement could sink his business.
He has a 6,000-gallon above-ground tank, which pipes gasoline to a riverside pump. During the off-season, the gas sometimes sits for weeks, offering prime conditions for phase separation.
"You get those moist southerly winds on a cold tank, and it just drips with moisture," he said. "If I sell fuel and the boat doesn't run, they won't buy from me anymore."
Krueger hasn't yet taken delivery of the blended gas. The city of Portland instituted an E10 requirement last summer, but exempted marine fuel. The state law -- which trumps the city's -- ordered all retailers and distributors to pump the blend beginning Jan. 15, but state officials say they have no intention of immediately cracking down on marine operators such as Krueger.
Instead, they'll focus on suppliers, making sure that wholesale deliveries made after mid-January contain E10, said Russ Wycoff, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture's measurement standards division, which is responsible for the law's enforcement.
Gail Kinsey Hill: 503-221-8590, gailhill@news.oregonian.com for environment news, go to http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen
